User blog:HappyButGuilty/Opinion on The Maze Runner Book and Movie
Warning #1: I'm ridiculously awful at writing serious reviews and I tend to stray from the main topic, so if you decide to read this, please bear with me. Warning #2: I'm an idiot when it comes to both books and movies, so don't expect this to be written perfectly or even well. (Yeah, my writing skills are that bad.) Warning #3: Contains a few spoilers... Warning #4: I suggest you leave now and avoid my rambling. I'm aware that this is pretty late, as The Maze Runner movie was released on September 19, 2014, but I wanted to share about how the movie changed my perception of the book and a bunch of other random stuff. When I watched the movie, I had recently finished the series which I mostly just skimmed through, basically wolfing it down in one big gulp, in my excitement to find out what was going to happen next. Though this page-turner quality could be considered as a pro, it is also a con to those who aren't used to James Dashner's style. These types of books are the kinds that are interesting and fun to read when you first read it, but boring to re-read as the only reason you actually pick up the book is to answer your questions about the story. However, they do become interesting to re-read once you start to feel attached to the characters. For me, the Maze Runner series feels more character-driven than plot-driven. You feel so connected to the characters and feel, in a sense, responsible for them. I also strongly felt the relationships between the characters, though I wasn't sure why. Because of my love for the characters, I was a little disappointed when I first watched the movie. The cast was a good one, but my first reaction to them wasn't that great- it wasn't bad either, I just didn't get the "this-is-the-best-thing-ever" feeling initially. The first time I watched it, I actually liked how Dylan O'Brien portrayed Thomas and I felt like he somehow just fit the role. Aml Ameen portrayed Alby pretty well, though there were a few, tiny changes that made me feel a little uncomfortable, but not enough to bring out an extremely negative reaction in me. Though it took a while for me (a week, haha) to get accustomed to him, Thomas Brodie-Sangster actually played Newt pretty well. He seemed to get the vibe of Newt's character. However, when I saw Gally, played by Will Poulter, and the way his character was portrayed I was confused and kept on thinking "What the shuck? What happened to the Gally I knew?". It took me a while to learn to appreciate Poulter's take on his role, which actually made a lot of sense. In the Maze Runner book, Gally is basically the stereotypical "bully-to-the-main-character" guy, who is known just for hating the main character. In the movie, his desire to protect the Glade is outlined, making him seem more human (though in the book he's supposed to be weird since he's gone through the Changing). The movie is actually pretty cool to watch. Wes Ball, the director, has a very good eye for action and knows how to make everything look fresh and awesome, although the CGI was a bit obvious at certain points of the film. If you want to see more of Wes Ball's awesomeness, check out Ruin. Despite how lovely the movie actually was, I hated it when I first watched it because of how different it was from the book. They changed so many details, (e.g. in the book, the Gladers came up to the Glade in a group while in the movie, Alby was alone in the Glade for one month), and even when some of the details were minor, it irked me to a crazy extent. But after re-watching the movie a billion times (okay, not a billion, just 4 times), I realized that despite the numerous details they changed, the movie stayed true to the spirit of the book, which I'm now starting to learn is the point of adapting the book as a film. After all, some things that work in a book don't work in a movie. Whenever I think of staying true to the spirit of a book or anything, really, there is only one thing that can be so faithful yet so different, breathing life into a story. Music. This leads us to the next topic. The soundtrack. John Paesano's compositions are ineffable and is perfectly true to the spirit of the book. To find out if you agree with me or not, click here and give the soundtrack a listen. However, there is still one thing I hate, but sort of love, about the movie that I also hate, but sort of love, about the book. The cliffhanger ending. I'm going as crazy as a Crank waiting for the Scorch Trials movie. Based on the Scorch Trials trailer, I can see that I have to expect a lot of changes in the movie compared to the book, but I'm surprisingly excited to see how they change it. I hope they are able to make the "betrayal" more heartbreaking, as I didn't feel Thomas' emotions in the book. What do you think of the movie? What do you think about the changes? Are you as excited for the Scorch Trials movie as I am? Answer with as much audacity and rage as you want, I never get offended for I am heartless (except when it comes to certain bands and certain book characters). Category:Blog posts Category:Blog posts